Game 14: ARKANSAS STATE (7-7, 1-0) vs. ULM (8-5, 1-0)
Saturday, Jan. 5 | 2 p.m.
Monroe, La. | Fant-Ewing Coliseum (7,000)
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ULM Basketball Notes: Game 14 vs. Arkansas State
STORYLINE –
Fresh from its 97-84 victory over Little Rock in the Sun Belt opener, ULM (8-5) welcomes Arkansas State (7-7) to Fant-Ewing Coliseum Saturday at 2 p.m. The Red Wolves opened league play with a 94-83 win at ULL. The Warhawks are a perfect 6-0 at home this season while averaging better than 85 points per game
ULM's starting lineup features four double-figure scorers, in 6-foot-1 guard Daishon Smith (20.8 points per game; 37 3-pointers), 6-2 guard Michael Ertel (13.9 ppg.), 6-6 forward Travis Munnings (13.3 ppg., 6.5 rpg.), and 6-4 guard JD Williams (12.2 ppg.).
THE STARTING FIVE –
• Senior guard Daishon Smith scored a career-high 42 points in ULM's 97-84 victory over Little Rock Thursday in the Sun Belt opener for both teams. His 42 points are tied for the 10th-highest single-game total in NCAA Division I this season and tied for the eighth-highest single-game total in ULM history.
Smith hit 14-of-19 field-goal attempts against the Trojans, including 10-of-12 3-pointers. His 10 3-pointers set the school single-game record (previous: 9 by Larry Carr vs. UT Arlington, 1994) and fell just one shy of the Sun Belt record for a league game (Lamar's Keith Veney: 11 made vs. Little Rock, Feb. 11, 1993). In addition, Smith's 10 3s are tied for the fourth-best single-game total in NCAA Division I this season.
The 6-foot-1 transfer from Wichita State scored 30 second-half points against Little Rock, hitting 10-of-11 shots from the floor including 8-of-9 from 3-point range.
• ULM has compiled an 8-2 record with senior guard Daishon Smith in the starting lineup (sidelined for three games with a hamstring injury; DNP in road games at Texas, Michigan State and Tennessee Tech). Smith ranks among the NCAA Division I leaders in 3-point field-goal percentage (fourth at .521), 3-point field goals made (11th at 3.7 per game) and scoring (29th at 20.8 points per game). He leads the Sun Belt in three different statistical categories: scoring, 3-point field-goal percentage and 3-point field goals made. Smith also ranks among the league leaders in free-throw percentage (third at .839), field-goal percentage (fourth at .521), steals (fourth at 1.9 pg.) and assists (14th at 2.9 pg.).
The Jacksonville, Florida, native has scored in double figures in nine games, including five 20-point outings. Smith has scored in double figures in six-straight games, averaging 23.2 points during that span.
• ULM is a perfect 6-0 at home this season, averaging 85.3 points per game while shooting 49 percent (167-of-342) from the field including 43 percent (66-of-152) from behind the 3-point arc. In addition, the Warhawks have limited their opponents to 65.3 points per game while shooting at a 41-percent clip (143-of-345) from the floor, including 36 percent (45-of-124) on 3-pointers. ULM also has a turnover margin of +6.7 per game at home.
The Warhawks have consistently gotten off to a quick start at home, outscoring their opponents by 64 points in the first half, 232-168. In its six home games, ULM has trailed for 12:18 out of a possible 240 minutes.
• ULM is 7-1 this season when limiting its opponents to 69 points or less. The Warhawks have held four opponents to a field-goal percentage below 39 percent. Only three opponents (Ole Miss .524, LSU .525 and Little Rock .620) have managed to shoot better than 50 percent from the field against ULM.
The Warhawks have made as many free throws (212) as their opponents have attempted (212) this season. Through the first 13 games, ULM has outscored its opponents, 212-139, from the free-throw line.
• ULM leads the Sun Belt in three different statistical categories: 3-point field-goal percentage (seventh in NCAA Division I at .415), 3-point field goals made (9.6 per game) and free-throw percentage (.754). The Warhawks also rank among the league leaders in scoring defense (second at 69.1 points per game), assist-to-turnover ratio (second at 1.2), field-goal percentage defense (third at .427), scoring margin (fourth at +6.5 ppg.), turnover margin (fourth at +2.3) and 3-point field-goal percentage defense (fifth at .325).
THE LAST TIME OUT –
ULM 97, Little Rock 84 (Jan. 3, 2019, in Monroe, La.): Daishon Smith scored a career-high 42 points Thursday night at Fant-Ewing Coliseum as ULM topped Little Rock, 97-84, in the Sun Belt opener for both teams.
Smith, a senior transfer from Wichita State playing his first and only season for ULM, made 10-of-12 3-pointers and was 14-of-19 from the floor.
His 42 points were the tied for the eighth-highest total for a ULM player in school history. It was the 11th time a ULM player topped 40 points, with Glynn Saulters holding the school record at 51.
Michael Ertel scored 16 points with six assists to bolster the effort. Williams added 13 points. ULM (8-5, 1-0) made 17 3-pointers on the night and shot 55.6 percent overall.
After a slow start that featured five missed shots by the home team and a 6-0 deficit to open the game, ULM rallied with a 14-0 run to seize control. Smith was a major contributor with 12 points in his first 12 minutes on the floor.
The Warhawks, who led by as many as 16 points in the first half, carried a 40-31 advantage into halftime. The Trojans (5-9, 0-1) hung around by shooting 57.9 percent from the field with six 3-pointers.
Smith's big night continued in earnest in the second half as he scored 14 of ULM's first 22 points after the break as the lead swelled to 19. Smith, whose previous high was 26 against Northwestern State, scored 30 points in the second half alone.
Little Rock shot 62 percent in the game as Ryan Pippins (19) and Markquis Nowell (19) kept dropping baskets and lurked as close as eight points at 80-72 with 4:44 left in the game.
Back to back 3-pointers by Smith and JD Williams provided breathing room and the Warhawks prevailed. ULM shot 74.1 percent in the second half (20-of-27).
ARKANSAS STATE SCOUTING REPORT –
Arkansas State (7-7) opened Sun Belt Conference play with a 94-83 victory at ULL Thursday. The 94 points were the most scored by an A-State team in a Sun Belt road game. The Red Wolves shot 50 percent (31-of-62) from the field against the Ragin' Cajuns as four starters scored in double figures. A-State also outrebounded ULL, 46-26.
The Red Wolves have won four of their last five games overall, with the only loss coming on the road at Syracuse (82-52).
A-State's starting lineup features two double-figure scorers, in 6-foot guard Ty Cockfield (20.5 ppg., 34 3-pointers) and 6-2 guard Marquis Eaton (11.6 ppg.). Cockfield, who has posted eight 20-point games, ranks second in the league in scoring and sixth in assists (3.6 apg.). Eaton scored a career-high 24 points in Thursday's win over the Ragin' Cajuns, hitting 8-of-15 field-goal attempts including 2-of-4 3s. Salif Boudie, a 6-8 forward, has recorded back-to-back double-doubles against Harding (14 points and 10 rebounds) and at ULL (12 points and 11 rebounds).
The Red Wolves lead the Sun Belt in offensive rebounding (13.1 pg.) and rank among the league leaders in rebound margin (third at +1.9 pg.), blocked shots (third at 4.6 pg.), field-goal percentage defense (fourth at .428), 3-point field-goal percentage defense (fourth at .305), free-throw percentage (fourth at .727) and 3-point field-goal percentage (.365).
ULM/ARKANSAS STATE SERIES NOTES –
Saturday's game marks the 66th meeting between ULM and Arkansas State. A-State leads the all-time series, 39-26, including a 10-19 record in games played in Monroe, La. The Red Wolves have won eight of the last 13 meetings, with three of the last eight games decided in overtime.
A year ago, A-State swept the regular-season series against ULM, winning the Sun Belt opener, 75-64, in Jonesboro and 83-79 in Monroe on Senior Day; however, for the second year in a row, the Warhawks knocked off the Red Wolves in a first-round game in the Sun Belt Championship, 76-54.
THE LAST MEETING –
ULM 76, A-State 54 (March 7, 2018, in New Orleans): Marvin Jean-Pierre hit 10-of-13 shots from the field and matched his career high with 23 points while ULM's defense limited Arkansas State to its third-lowest point total of the season, as the Warhawks cruised to a 76-54 victory in the first round of the 2018 Sun Belt Championship.
Four days earlier, A-State completed a regular-season sweep over ULM, 83-79, in Monroe, Louisiana. The Red Wolves shot 61 percent (17-of-28) from the field, including 8-of-12 3-pointers (67 percent), while building an 18-point halftime lead at 50-32.
ULM scored the first five points of the game and built an 16-8 lead on Michael Ertel's 3-pointer from the left baseline with 11:34 left in the first half. A-State (11-21) answered with a 6-0 spurt to cut its deficit to 16-14 on two free throws from Grantham Gillard with 9:45 remaining. A deep 3-pointer from the left wing by Jordan Harris sparked a 14-5 run and a layup by Sam Alabakis with :30 to play in the first half sent the Warhawks to the locker room with a 14-point lead at 39-25.
Travis Munnings hit 6-of-7 field-goal attempts in the first 20 minutes and scored 13 points for ULM. The Warhawks also got 10 first-half points from Ertel.
ULM shot 59 percent (17-of-29) from the floor in the first half while limiting A-State to 32-percent field-goal shooting (10-of-31), including only 1-of-10 from 3-point range.
The Warhawks broke the game open by outscoring the Red Wolves, 22-4, over a 9:58 stretch in the second half. Jean-Pierre's dunk gave ULM its largest lead at 63-33 with 8:06 left in the second half. Jean-Pierre scored 11 consecutive points for the Warhawks during a 3:14 span in the second half.
Jean-Pierre posted 16 second-half points in 13 minutes, hitting all seven of his field-goal attempts including two 3s. ULM also got 13 points from Munnings (all coming in the first half) and 12 from Ertel.
For the game, the Warhawks shot 50 percent (31-of-62) from the floor, including 37 percent (7-of-19) from behind the 3-point arc. With its shooting performance, ULM improved to 9-1 on the season when hitting 50 percent of better from the field.
Ty Cockfield connected on 6-of-15 field-goal attempts and became the only A-State player to score in double figures, finishing with 18 points.
DIALED IN FROM 3-POINT RANGE –
Three-point field goals have accounted for 38 percent of ULM's scoring (125 3-pointers made; 375 of 983 points) in 2018-19. The Warhawks have attempted at least 20 3-pointers in nine of their first 13 games.
In 2017-18, ULM set a school single-season record with 288 3-pointers made (previous record: 287 made, 2006-07).
ULM TOUGH TO BEAT WHEN SHOOTING 50 PERCENT OR BETTER FROM THE FIELD –
ULM is 14-1 in its last 15 games when shooting 50 percent or better from the field, with its only loss coming in the 2017-18 regular-season finale against Arkansas State (.509). The Warhawks are a perfect 5-0 when hitting 50 percent or better from the floor in 2018-19, with wins over Millsaps (.516), Northwestern State (.509), Nicholls State (season-best .559), Coppin State (.500) and Little Rock (.556).
RICHARD REACHES COACHING MILESTONES –
With an 80-63 victory over Coppin State on Dec. 21, Keith Richard reached two coaching milestones by recording his 100th win at ULM and his 250th career win.
2018-19 ULM STARTING LINEUPS –
Different Starting Combinations (5):
Ertel, Smith, Williams, Munnings, Washington: 7 (6-1)
Ertel, Smith, Williams, Munnings, T. White: 2 (1-1)
Ertel, Harris, Williams, Munnings, T. White: 2 (0-2)
Ertel, Smith, Harris, Munnings, Washington: 1 (1-0)
Ertel, Harris, Williams, Munnings, Washington: 1 (0-1)
2018-19 WARHAWK STATISTICAL TRENDS –
Games played in Fant-Ewing Coliseum: 6-0
Games played on the road: 2-5
Games played in November: 3-3
Games played in December: 4-2
Games played in January: 1-0
When leading at halftime: 7-1
When trailing at halftime: 1-4
When tied at halftime: 0-0
When shooting .500 or better from the field: 5-0
When shooting less than .500 from the field: 3-5
When opponent shoots .500 or better from the field: 1-2
When opponent shoots less than .500 from the floor: 7-3
When outrebounding opponent: 3-0
When outrebounded by opponent: 4-5
When rebounding totals are equal: 1-0
When hitting more free throws than opponent: 7-3
When hitting fewer free throws than opponent: 0-0
When hitting the same number of free throws as opponent: 1-2
When committing fewer turnovers than opponent: 7-1
When opponent commits fewer turnovers: 1-3
When turnover totals are equal: 0-1
When ULM scores 50-59 points: 0-2
When ULM scores 60-69 points: 0-2
When ULM scores 70-79 points: 3-1
When ULM scores 80-89 points: 2-0
When ULM scores 90-99 points: 3-0
When opponent scores 50-59 points: 3-0
When opponent scores 60-69 points: 4-1
When opponent scores 70-79 points: 0-1
When opponent scores 80-89 points: 1-3
When opponent scores 90-99 points: 0-0
Games decided by five points or less: 1-0
Games decided by 6-10 points: 1-2
Games decided by 11-19 points: 3-1
Games decided by 20 points or more: 3-2
Last five games: 4-1
Last 10 games: 6-4
Largest deficit overcome to win: 6 (6-0 vs. Little Rock, Jan. 3)
Largest lead surrendered in a loss: 10 (29-19 at Tennessee Tech, Nov. 23)
WARHAWK STAT LEADERS
Double-figure scoring games (41): Michael Ertel 10, Daishon Smith 9, JD Williams 9, Travis Munnings 7, Jontray Harris 3, Brandon Newman 1, Andre Washington 1, Tyree White 1. Opponents: 41.
20-point games (12): Daishon Smith 5, Michael Ertel 3, Travis Munnings 3, JD Williams 1. Opponents: 4.
30-point games (2): Travis Munnings 1, Daishon Smith 1. Opponents: None.
40-point games (1): Daishon Smith 1. Opponents: None.
Double-figure rebounding games (6): Andre Washington 3, Travis Munnings 2, Jontray Harris 1. Opponents: 9.
Double-doubles: None. Opponents: 8.
Games leading ULM in scoring: Daishon Smith 6, Travis Munnings 4, Michael Ertel 2, JD Williams 1.
Games leading ULM in rebounding: Travis Munnings 5, Andre Washington 5, JD Williams 2, Jontray Harris 1, Tyree White 1.
Games leading ULM in assists: Daishon Smith 5, Michael Ertel 4, Travis Munnings 4, Brandon Newman 3, Jontray Harris 2, JD Williams 1.